Add To Collection
Add to Collection
COMPTOIR AMERICAIN
COMPTOIR AMERICAIN
Paris, France
View Original
Add To Collection
Add to Collection
View Original
Add To Collection
Add to Collection
View Original
Add To Collection
Add to Collection
View Original
Add To Collection
Add to Collection
Other Projects by GUILLAUME JOUNET LACOSTE
COMPTOIR AMERICAIN
Paris, France
Type
YEAR
2014
SIZE
0 sqft - 1000 sqft
BUDGET
$100K - 500K
A NEW ADVENTURE
It requires courage for someone to suddenly stop an ongoing brilliant career in order to embrace his dream of opening a restaurant. That's what Mathias Limbour is capable of!
' FAR FROM BEING RECKLESS / INTREPIDE, HE KNEW HE WOULD COUNT ON AN INCREDIBLE BACK-UP TEAM, COMPRISING THE 2 STARRED-CHEF THIERRY MARX* AS MINOR ASSOCIATE IN HIS BUSINESS.'
Both born and raised in Menilmontant, a neighborhood of Paris' 20th arrondissement, the famous chef would offer his services as an adviser, master or friend to his new "apprentice".
* Among the most internationally celebrated French chef, Thierry Marx now leads his own gastronomic restaurant, the Mandarin Oriental, renowned for molecular food and inspired by Asian cuisine. Via other businesses he runs or classes he teaches in France and Japan, he also tends to create a link between gastronomy and "street food" culture, to share knowledge like brotherhoods used to. Still attached to his popular origins, he will also inaugurate his own free cooking school.
A TASTE OF AMERICA
Passionate about American culture, and more specifically about its most emblematic symbol, New York City, Mathias decided to take the plunge on his own to get a feel of what the American dream could be. Consequently, the project had to convey these values, although the cuisine would definitely be French and the place deeply belong to his beloved neighborhood: becoming a pale copy wasn't on the agenda!
Prior to tracing anything on a blueprint, the right balance had to be found to create a genuine New York-like atmosphere without designing an umpteenth industrial interpretation of the US cultural capital. Among all the local codes, from colors to materials and signs, the vocabulary of the streets was borrowed, as the empty local we visited looked pretty much like a mere car park.
'INSTEAD OF TURNING IT INTO A SOPHISTICATED JOINT WITH HIGH-END FINISHINGS, IT WAS DECIDED THAT THE PLACE'S ATMOSPHERE SHOULD BE KEPT - I.E. THAT IT SHOULD BE EXTRA ROUGH JUST LIKE EATING OUTSIDE OF A WAREHOUSE - WHICH WAS ALSO BENEFICIAL FOR THE PROVIDED BUDGET!'
CAR PARK
With existing volumes following some kind of hierarchy, mostly depending on height and proportions, spreading functions through the plan was sort of obvious. As height wasn't quite sufficient on both sides of the local for public use, all amenities were inserted there, leaving the central section - actually 2 sections combined - to clients as it was the most pleasant to roam in.
From the street, the 1st section creates a mass appeal with the bright yellow tone of the bar and take-away, underlined by an inox display, a black counter top, signs and neon lights. Passers-by then get hungry as they witness through ribbon windows the chef and his staff cooking large pieces of meat on the barbecue grill in a clinical atmosphere! In the back are hidden the dry goods storage and a wide cold room for fresh ingredients, and also a smaller space for dishes cleaning and waste sorting.
The 2nd section then offers shelter to all customers in an approximately 50 seats dining room, visually subdivided in 3 smaller rooms. The first one is pretty simple, with chairs and wooden tables burned with fer rouge like parking lots lining along the facade. The two others in the back are more cozy and intimate, with banquettes and armchairs for longer stay. Wood essences and leather tones are harmonized and also match with other mobile or built-in pieces of furniture made out of raw wood planks, steel frames or even white painted concrete blocks. The warm atmosphere is obtained by combining a set of lights, from industrial lamps suspended to metal chains, security lights fixed on surrounding walls, an old-fashioned electric sign, back-lighted boxes displaying daily menus, or even neon texts giving directions to visitors. Also, a wide storage space for furniture is enclosed at the rear of one of the dining rooms to adapt the number of seats for certain occasions: either punctually lower down the number of seats for certain occasions (appr. 30 seats left), or add more in case of overbooking (appr. 60 seats).
The last section mainly integrates lavatories, a changing room for the staff with a direct access from the street, and the manager's office.
GLOBAL DESIGN
' LE COMPTOIR AMERICAIN IS AN OCCASION TO FULLY DEVELOP A PROJECT'S IDENTITY, NONE ONLY THROUGH ARCHITECTURE DESIGN OR FURNITURE AND PRODUCTS DESIGN, BUT THROUGH GRAPHIC DESIGN AND BRANDING: WE WOULD CALL IT ART DIRECTION!'
Every element should be part of a same design idiom, and every detail added should somehow respect the dictated codes. In this case study, except chairs and lamps or kitchen equipments, almost everything is specifically created or adapted to meet the owner's demand. A bespoke material library was defined and the project elaborated in parallel with the construction company in charge, so that no detail was left uncontrolled, to avoid elements that would seem "out-of-place".
It requires courage for someone to suddenly stop an ongoing brilliant career in order to embrace his dream of opening a restaurant. That's what Mathias Limbour is capable of!
' FAR FROM BEING RECKLESS / INTREPIDE, HE KNEW HE WOULD COUNT ON AN INCREDIBLE BACK-UP TEAM, COMPRISING THE 2 STARRED-CHEF THIERRY MARX* AS MINOR ASSOCIATE IN HIS BUSINESS.'
Both born and raised in Menilmontant, a neighborhood of Paris' 20th arrondissement, the famous chef would offer his services as an adviser, master or friend to his new "apprentice".
* Among the most internationally celebrated French chef, Thierry Marx now leads his own gastronomic restaurant, the Mandarin Oriental, renowned for molecular food and inspired by Asian cuisine. Via other businesses he runs or classes he teaches in France and Japan, he also tends to create a link between gastronomy and "street food" culture, to share knowledge like brotherhoods used to. Still attached to his popular origins, he will also inaugurate his own free cooking school.
A TASTE OF AMERICA
Passionate about American culture, and more specifically about its most emblematic symbol, New York City, Mathias decided to take the plunge on his own to get a feel of what the American dream could be. Consequently, the project had to convey these values, although the cuisine would definitely be French and the place deeply belong to his beloved neighborhood: becoming a pale copy wasn't on the agenda!
Prior to tracing anything on a blueprint, the right balance had to be found to create a genuine New York-like atmosphere without designing an umpteenth industrial interpretation of the US cultural capital. Among all the local codes, from colors to materials and signs, the vocabulary of the streets was borrowed, as the empty local we visited looked pretty much like a mere car park.
'INSTEAD OF TURNING IT INTO A SOPHISTICATED JOINT WITH HIGH-END FINISHINGS, IT WAS DECIDED THAT THE PLACE'S ATMOSPHERE SHOULD BE KEPT - I.E. THAT IT SHOULD BE EXTRA ROUGH JUST LIKE EATING OUTSIDE OF A WAREHOUSE - WHICH WAS ALSO BENEFICIAL FOR THE PROVIDED BUDGET!'
CAR PARK
With existing volumes following some kind of hierarchy, mostly depending on height and proportions, spreading functions through the plan was sort of obvious. As height wasn't quite sufficient on both sides of the local for public use, all amenities were inserted there, leaving the central section - actually 2 sections combined - to clients as it was the most pleasant to roam in.
From the street, the 1st section creates a mass appeal with the bright yellow tone of the bar and take-away, underlined by an inox display, a black counter top, signs and neon lights. Passers-by then get hungry as they witness through ribbon windows the chef and his staff cooking large pieces of meat on the barbecue grill in a clinical atmosphere! In the back are hidden the dry goods storage and a wide cold room for fresh ingredients, and also a smaller space for dishes cleaning and waste sorting.
The 2nd section then offers shelter to all customers in an approximately 50 seats dining room, visually subdivided in 3 smaller rooms. The first one is pretty simple, with chairs and wooden tables burned with fer rouge like parking lots lining along the facade. The two others in the back are more cozy and intimate, with banquettes and armchairs for longer stay. Wood essences and leather tones are harmonized and also match with other mobile or built-in pieces of furniture made out of raw wood planks, steel frames or even white painted concrete blocks. The warm atmosphere is obtained by combining a set of lights, from industrial lamps suspended to metal chains, security lights fixed on surrounding walls, an old-fashioned electric sign, back-lighted boxes displaying daily menus, or even neon texts giving directions to visitors. Also, a wide storage space for furniture is enclosed at the rear of one of the dining rooms to adapt the number of seats for certain occasions: either punctually lower down the number of seats for certain occasions (appr. 30 seats left), or add more in case of overbooking (appr. 60 seats).
The last section mainly integrates lavatories, a changing room for the staff with a direct access from the street, and the manager's office.
GLOBAL DESIGN
' LE COMPTOIR AMERICAIN IS AN OCCASION TO FULLY DEVELOP A PROJECT'S IDENTITY, NONE ONLY THROUGH ARCHITECTURE DESIGN OR FURNITURE AND PRODUCTS DESIGN, BUT THROUGH GRAPHIC DESIGN AND BRANDING: WE WOULD CALL IT ART DIRECTION!'
Every element should be part of a same design idiom, and every detail added should somehow respect the dictated codes. In this case study, except chairs and lamps or kitchen equipments, almost everything is specifically created or adapted to meet the owner's demand. A bespoke material library was defined and the project elaborated in parallel with the construction company in charge, so that no detail was left uncontrolled, to avoid elements that would seem "out-of-place".
Product Spec Sheet
Were your products used?
Join as a manufacturer to add your products.